Meeting of Styles

Meeting of Styles Meeting of Styles is an international network of graffiti and street art festivals and workshops that brings together artists, collectives, and cultural institutions across cities such as Berlin, Los Angeles, Tokyo, São Paulo, London, and Paris. Founded in the late 1990s and inspired by earlier urban interventions like Tats Cru collaborations and the New York City subway graffiti movement, the network staged legal and semi-legal painting sessions that linked artists associated with movements around Banksy, Shepard Fairey, Futura, Keith Haring, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. The events foster exchanges among individuals from scenes connected to Hip hop, Punk rock, Skateboarding, Breakdance, and institutions such as Tate Modern, MOCA Los Angeles, and Centre Pompidou.

History

Origins trace to a series of gatherings in the late 1990s influenced by earlier crews like Seen, Cope2, and outreach practices linked to Graffiti Art Magazine and Subway Art (book). Early organizers referenced international festivals including Write4Gold and community projects in São Paulo and Buenos Aires, and partnered informally with local collectives affiliated with Urban Nation and 5 Pointz. Expansion followed models used by events such as Art Basel spin-offs and the Documenta outreach strategies, while responding to legal frameworks shaped by cases like People v. Aguilar and municipal policies in Berlin Senate and Los Angeles City Council. Tensions between preservation campaigns exemplified by Friends of 5 Pointz and enforcement actions comparable to operations by New York Police Department shaped the network’s route through commercial galleries, squats, famed warehouse districts, and sanctioned mural programs in cities governed by bodies like Barcelona City Council and Amsterdam City Council.

Format and Activities

Typical gatherings feature live painting sessions, mural commissions, panel discussions, and workshops that include collaborations with artists from collectives such as MSK (collective), The London Police, and FAILE. Events often run alongside exhibitions at venues like MCA Chicago, Serpentine Galleries, and alternative spaces such as NDSM Wharf and squats formerly occupied by movements around Kunsthaus Tacheles. Activities incorporate cross-disciplinary programming connecting practitioners associated with DJ Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash, Rammellzee, and designers influenced by Vivienne Westwood and Virgil Abloh. Educational components have paired with universities and schools such as Goldsmiths, University of London, Columbia University, Universidade de São Paulo, and community groups linked to Make the Road New York and La Plaza Cultural de Armando Perez.

Notable Events and Locations

High-profile iterations took place in landmark sites: large-scale muralling projects in Berlin Wall proximities, legal walls in Los Angeles Arts District, rooftop festivals near Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo, portside warehouses in Hamburg, and revitalization projects in Wynwood Walls, Bristol street-art tours, and the post-industrial zones of Detroit. Some gatherings intersected with international art fairs such as Art Cologne and Frieze Art Fair, while others curated retrospectives referencing works by David Choe, Shepard Fairey, Margaret Kilgallen, and Barry McGee. Notable controversies occurred when properties celebrated by groups like Friends of 5 Pointz faced demolition or legal disputes similar to those involving 5 Pointz owners; these episodes drew attention from media outlets and institutions including The Guardian, The New York Times, and Le Monde.

Organization and Governance

The network operates through a loose federation of local chapters and event organizers who negotiate with municipal authorities, property owners, and cultural sponsors such as Adidas, Red Bull, and arts foundations like the Kunststiftung NRW. Leadership structures mirror models used by nonhierarchical collectives such as Anonymous (group) and creative cooperatives akin to Black Mountain College alumni initiatives, relying on volunteer committees, curatorial boards, and partnerships with legal aid groups similar to ACLU affiliates. Funding mixes patronage from brands, public arts grants from agencies like National Endowment for the Arts, ticketed programming, and crowd-funded campaigns comparable to those run via platforms inspired by Kickstarter.

Artistic Impact and Reception

Critics and scholars compare the network’s output to the trajectories of Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, and the institutionalization debates evoked by Street Art: The Transfiguration of the Commonplaces-type arguments. Supporters argue that meetings democratize access to art and urban space, aligning with urban regeneration projects observed in Bilbao post-Guggenheim Bilbao and community arts strategies in Medellín. Detractors draw parallels with gentrification dynamics documented in SoHo and Williamsburg, and with controversies surrounding commodification referenced in exhibitions at Gagosian Gallery and White Cube. Scholars affiliated with institutions like University College London, NYU and Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México have published case studies examining intercultural exchange, labor practices, and patenting debates in street art culture, citing artists such as Swoon (artist), Os Gemeos, and Blu (artist).

Category:Street art festivals Category:Graffiti